Steering-wheel lock



Aug. 17 1926.

- G. I... BENFORD STEERING WHEEL LOCK Fil March 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l 61am new Aug. 17 1926.

G. L. BENFORD STEERING WHEEL LOCK File Mar h 2 1924 2 sheets-Sheet 2 fliww lg Patented 'Aug. 17, 1926.

vonto; ASSIQIIQB r- Tnnjsfrnnorm tem-mac Iliq a en t or; verrwere, 01x10, A CORPORATION or 01110;

o r 'Efmmm $00K:

kpp licatiqn 'filed mareh 29,193. seml m. vcgzgeoea The invention relates. to asteering wheel journaled on the. end

a motor of a steeringpost of:

vehicle, having Ineans for normally stopping" the; rotation of the wheel onthe post, and means'forreleasing the stopping means" and; locking thesanie in: released posh tion, to steering render the wheel inoperative? tor purposes.

1 v The present invention i s an: improvement and Ott June 28, p e

Steering'wheels of this. general type. include. a journalhead fixed upon the, steering by means of post member upon the construction vdriscl'osedi in the ap plication of John Ghil de,

Leev Dijlts o Kuepfer, Serial No. 511 ,3533 filedi a nut, and a corresponding in the huloloif the wheel, with a'bolt in: the wheel; nornial lyengag ingf thelhead to,

stop rotation cylindric lock of the wheel thereon and a operable with: a key for withdra'wingaand locking thev bolttrolnengage:'

ment with the head; and} permitting the ro tation oi the wheel thereon.-

r In th 25 e application above referred to, i a

cap is provided over thenut: arranged: to.- be

automatically locked against removal when the. wheel is adapted rotatable upon the post and to be disconneetdi by: turning the cap to a certain position when the wheel is provide locked upon the steering: post.

The object o f the present nventio'n is to 7 means whereby the cap. mayfbe lifted out of the hub of the wheel at any time when the.

' steering ing the "wheel is locked-upon the post, without the necessity of turn cap to a certain position hetore the;

same maybe removed. The invent on as. embodied 1a a wheel; hinged: to its hearing hubv at one srclethereof 40 in well known manner, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, 'in. which- Figure 1 is an ZLXIEJJl hub portion 45 portion the 'im 3, a View similar to Fig. 2; showing 7 I Y Fig. the whe section through the of a steering wheel: and the he'adi of a steering: post showingdetails of rovemnt; i I A asection on theline 2+2; Fig. 1;

el locked upon the' steeringpost ;i

4, a detached perspective view of the nut cover;

'- Fig. 5, a perspective view' of the locking i g nd spring5ialndi head v.

Fig. 6f a perspective View of the jou-rnat niilan nu'inerals- 0t reference indicatecorrespondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

A steering post 8 is provided ne'a'r itsup per: end with an annular flange9: forming an; annular should'er'lO above which extends a stein 11 having a screw shank 12 on its end and being provided with a longitudinal keyway 13 in one side.

A journal head 14 provided: with an axial bore 15 fitting the stem 1 1 and a key-wayli6, is

the. axial bore surrounding the head.

Near the upper end of the hubarr internal annular shoulder 21; is provided bearing on the balls; 22 operating in-"a raceway 23 in the peripheral portion of the upper journal head.

end; of the.

V A screw thread 24 isprovided: in the lower end of the. axial bore 20 of the hub, for rece vl'ng annular tam ng the The coupling 25 is adapted to 'tu-r n'against the ring 28- provide'dwith a raceway to receive the balls supportedupon the lo 29, a similar ring 30 being allsand held in engagement with the peripheral; shoulder 31 of the journal head.

The inturned' annular flange per end of above the flange 26-upon enga against 32 at the up the bell shaped shield extends the coupling and ies a raceway ring 33", holding the same the balls-34' which rotate in the raceway ring 35' engaged against the shoulder 3.6 uponthe under side of the? wheel hub;

The upper end of'the journal head 14: and

the; wheel hub 1=91 are annularly recessed to mounted; upon the steerin post and is the threadecli coupling 25 having the flange 26 at its 'l o'werend for-rebell shaped shield'2'l.

receive a cap 37 which has a peripheral flange 38 on its upper end bearing upon an annular shoulder 39 formed in the recess of the hub, in which it is freely revoluble and has a cylindric wall 40 extending downward freely around the sides of the nut 18, and is so proportioned that the body of the cap is freely spaced above the nut when its peripheral flange is seated on the shoulder 39 of the hub; so that the cap cannot be clamped into contact with the nut or journal head.

Means for normally retaining the cap in protrude outside of the peripheral groove in the cap at its ends, while the central portion of the spring is normally engaged with the ring 41, holding the flange 42 thereof in the annular groove of the cap, thereby preventing a withdrawal of the cap from the journal head and wheel hub recess. The wheel hub 19 is normally stopped from turning upon the journal head 14: by a bolt 47, operably mounted in a bore 48, provided in a lateral tubular extension 49 of the hub, so that the inner'end 50 of the bolt may enter a radial slot 51 provided in one side of the journal head and be held therein by action of the compression spring 52, coiled around a stem 53 and extended into a socket 54 provided in a plug 55 screwed into the outer end of the bolt bore in the hub extension. A transverse flange 56 provided on the upper side of the bolt, near its forward end, is so positioned as to enter the annular channel in the recess of the journal head when the inner'end of the bolt is engaged with the head.

In this position, the flange 56 will engage the ring 41, pressing the same against the action of the spring 4L4; into concentric position with relation to the cap 48, holding the annular shoulder 42 upon the ring, out of the annular groove 43 in the cap, whereupon the cap can be readily lifted out of the hub and head recesses, whenever it. is necessary or desirable to have access to the nut 18, by which the journal head is secured to the steering post.

The bolt 47 is provided with a transverse slot 57 in its upper side, and alock 58 is mounted in a eylindric recess 59 in the hub extension. The lock is provided with a wrist pin 60 and is adapted to be operated by a key 61 for moving the bolt outward from engagement in the bore of the journal head; whereupon the key may be withdrawn and the bolt can only be reengaged with the journal head by the use of the key.

When the bolt is thus operated, the flange 56 is withdrawn from engagement with the ring 41, permitting the bow spring ltto press'the ring into engagementwith the nular recess'ofthe cap, so that it is impossible to remove the cap from the hub and head recesses, without reentering the keyand operating the bolt into normal engaging position.

From the above, it will be obvious that the cap may be removedat any time when the wheel is looked upon the journal head, without the necessity of turning the cap to any particular position, while the cap is always automatically locked against removal normally pressing one side of the ring into groove in the.cap, there being the annular a. flange on the bolt for pressing the ring out of the groove when the bolt isoperated.

2. A steering post, a journal head,a nut securing the-head on the post, a rotatable hub around the head, a slidablebolt in the hub for stopping its rotation on the head, a cap recessed in the hub and head bearing on the hub and freely revoluble therein, and enclosing the nut and head free of the same, an annular channel injthe head having an overhanging, shoulder, an external annular groove in the cap, a- .locklng ring loosely mounted in said annular channel provided with an lnternal annular shoulder for enthe cap, means for normally pressing-one side of said SllOlllClEILlIltO the annular groove in the cap, there belng a flange on the bolt gagement in the external. annular groove in' for pressing the ring out of the groove when the bolt is operated.

3.-A steering post, a journal head, a nut securing the head on the post, a rotatable hub around the head, a slidable bolt in the hub for stopping its rotation on the head, a cap recessed in the hub and head bearing on the hub and freely revoluble therein, and enclosing the nut and head free of the same, an annular channel in the head having an overhanging shoulder, an external annular groove 1n the cap, a llockmg rlng loosely mounted in said annular channel, a bow spring for normally pressing one side of the ring into the annular groove in the cap, the head having a socket and a stud connecting the bowspring to the ring and. extending into the socket, there being a flange on the bolt for pressing the ring out of the groove when the bolt is'operated.

In testimony that 'I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my'name.

GEORGE L. BENFORD. 

